


the very same one you're dying to reveal

by octoaliencowboy



Series: Moments [4]
Category: DCU, DCU (Comics), Grayson (Comics)
Genre: M/M, it will U your WUs i promise, mawwiage....., pretty much pure fluff, this is very soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-29
Updated: 2019-05-29
Packaged: 2020-03-26 14:56:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19008106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/octoaliencowboy/pseuds/octoaliencowboy
Summary: This very secretThat you're trying to concealIs the very same oneYou're dying to reveal-Ron Sexsmith, Secret heart(Done from a tumblr prompt, very soft, a must read)





	the very same one you're dying to reveal

Tiger knows as soon as Dick makes eye contact with him that he isn’t going to like the ensuing conversation. 

 

He’s washing the dishes— all the pans and wooden spoons and mugs and high quality knives, the good skillet, things that couldn’t go in the dishwasher and had been piling up in the sink for the last few days. It’s a terribly domestic thing, and Tiger has to wonder when he transformed from a raging, killing machine to a domesticated man. Dick would probably make a joke about a tiger versus a housecat, which is why Tiger never plans on voicing this thought out loud. 

 

Dick comes in the kitchen looking like he’s already guilty of something. Tiger can see it in the asymmetrical slant of his shoulders, the sheepish smile on his face. The way he leans against the doorframe, hands behind his back and hips cocked to the side. It reminds Tiger of that song— or maybe it’s more of a jingle, that Dick sent him over text once. (He refuses to use the word meme, even in his head).  _ I just did a bad thing, I regret the thing I did, and you’re wondering what it is, tell you what I did, I did a bad thing.  _

 

“What?” Tiger sighs, already exasperated. 

 

“Well… do you mind if Damian stays here for a few nights a few times a month?” 

 

Tiger raises an eyebrow at him. He doesn’t believe this is all there is to it. He turns back to the soapy water filled sink. “One, define ‘a few’, two, why are you asking me this now?”

 

“A few literally means a few. Like, three to four nights once or twice a month.” Dick’s sheepish grin becomes more of a wince, and,  _ ah _ , Tiger thinks,  _ here it is _ . “I’m asking now because, uh, I may have neglected to ask you sooner, and, well. Damian will be here in less than two minutes.” 

 

The wooden spoon in Tiger’s hand clatters to the bottom of the sink. “Damn it, Dick,” he says, but he doesn’t have anything to finish the sentence with. 

 

Truth be told, Tiger likes Damian. He does. He respects the boy’s code of honour. And Dick is so endeared to him, it’s difficult not to see the good things Dick sees as well. But at the same time, Damian is also a disrespectful little brat.

 

And also, he keeps bringing up details and ideas for wedding plans, and as far as Tiger knows Damian isn’t even supposed to know about the ring that’s always burning a hole in Tiger’s pocket, let alone be privy to any potential wedding plans. (Tiger has no idea how Damian knows, but somehow he does, he must, for how much he implies it.) He resists the urge to slip his hand in his pocket and feel the fine metal there now. 

 

“Fine. Did you change the sheets in the guest room?” Tiger grouses. Damian knows more than he should about a lot of things, and every time Tiger sees him he runs his mouth a little more, and a little more. 

 

“Yup.” Dick ends the word with an obnoxious noise like the popping of bubblegum, somehow, and Tiger wonders why he's head over heels in love with him. He starts washing the dishes faster. If Damian arrives before he’s done and sees him in an apron and with rubber gloves on, he will start making house husband comments, and Tiger wants to minimize the amount of hints Dick is getting about what he is planning. 

 

“It’ll be fine, Tiger.” Dick says with a smile. “Damian actually likes you, which is way more than can be said about what he thinks about anyone else I’ve dated.” 

 

“Yes, he does. That’s the problem.”

 

Dick laughs at that, loud and sudden, clearly oblivious to the fact Tiger was one hundred percent serious. “Oh, you crack me up.” He says, still chuckling as he wanders back down the hallway, the sounds of his mirth fading the farther he gets. 

 

Just as Tiger is putting the last pan on the drying rack and draining the sink, there is a knock on the apartment door. He goes and opens it, and sure enough, there is Damian standing in the hallway, with a suitcase almost as big as him. Tiger has a feeling ‘three or four days’ is going to end up being ‘at least a week’. 

 

“I thought I told you to stop breaking into our building.” Is how Tiger greets him. Damian scoffs in his signature way and brushes past Tiger into the apartment. Leaves his suitcase on the floor, then turns on his heel to face Tiger again. He crosses his arms and turns up his nose. Damian Al Ghul Wayne is the haughtiest boy Tiger has ever known. 

 

“I did not break in, this time. An old woman walking her dog opened the door for me after I gave her dog a treat. She said I was a very nice young man.” 

 

He says this last sentence almost like a brag, like Tiger might have reason to be jealous that an old woman— probably Mrs. Haddad— called Damian a very nice young man, and, the implied, not Tiger.

 

That’s when Dick swoops down the hall and into the living room with a joyful noise. He leans down (barely, Tiger notices. Damian is growing fast now that he’s hit puberty) and wraps his brother up in a big bear hug that the youngest Wayne protests only for the sake of his reputation. Tiger can plainly see in his little frog like face that he revels in Dick’s attention. That much, Tiger can relate to, though he’s much better at hiding it around other people. 

 

While Dick is fawning over Damian and barraging him with questions— how is school going, what are his friends up to, how was the trip over, are his new cats adjusting to the manor well— Tiger goes and grabs his coat. 

 

“We’re going to need groceries for a third person.” He says by way of explanation while he checks his coat pockets for his wallet and keys. They’re there. “And we will be out of eggs soon.”

 

“Why don't you go with him, Dami?” Dick says. “I’m still getting my coursework for this week done so I’m afraid I’m not going to be very entertaining for a while.” 

 

“Fine, Richard. I will accompany your husband to the store.”

 

Tiger has to suppress a twitch when Damian shoots him a look. Dick just laughs. “Tiger and I aren’t married, Dami.” 

 

“My mistake.” Damian sighs. “Well, it’s only a matter of time.”

 

_ Do not strangle him, do  _ **_not_ ** _ strangle him _ , Tiger thinks desperately. But when he looks over at Dick, Dick is already looking at him with a distant, dreamy smile and a light tinge of pink on his cheeks. And that, inexplicably, gives Tiger hope for the future. 

 

He and Damian walk to the grocery store. It’s nearby enough, and the weather is nice, though chilly for this late in May. It’s almost eight in the evening, but the sun is still strong even as it starts to set behind them, casting long shadows along the sidewalk. They don’t talk on the way there. This is one of the things Tiger likes about Damian-- he knows how to appreciate a silent moment. They don’t talk until they reach the grocery store.

 

The grocery store is fairly sizeable, but nowhere near supermarket size, which Tiger likes. It’s much a much quieter environment than he used to buy food in, though, even at its busiest times, and sometimes Tiger finds himself missing the chaos. He picks up a handheld basket and immediately grabs a container of Dick’s favourite dip. They’re almost out again. But it’s Dick’s own fault for practically eating the stuff with a spoon. (At one point, the thought occurred to Tiger that if Dick kept consuming it at this rate he would start to get fat, but then he decided not to say anything because Dick was too skinny anyway and could benefit from gaining a few pounds.) 

 

They go past the meat and cheese, because they’re fine for cheese and there’s no point in buying more meat when Damian is here. They make it all the way to the produce before Damian stops directly in front of Tiger, forcing him to come to a stop as well. Damian holds out his hand, palm up, like he expects to be given something. Tiger raises an eyebrow at him. 

 

“Yes?” 

 

“I would like to see the ring,” Damian  _ demands _ . It sets Tiger’s nerves on edge immediately. His raised eyebrow intensifies.

 

“Ask politely.” 

 

Damian huffs. His leg twitches like he’s resisting the urge to stomp his foot. “Show it to me.”

 

“You are not entitled to see it.” Tiger says, looking down his nose at Damian. “You have to ask politely.” 

 

Red starts to creep into Damian’s cheeks, and Tiger already knows he is going to win. He was a little brother, once, too. He was a little brother for far longer than Damian has been. He knows every trick. Damian cannot win against him in a battle of wills of this nature. 

 

“ _ Fine _ .” Damian hisses. “Please.”

 

“Please, what?” 

 

“Please, may I see the ring?” 

 

“Very well.” Tiger decides to indulge him. Maybe this will get Damian to relax a little. He reaches into his front pants pocket and carefully pulls out the ring. He doesn’t keep it in a box, because that would make it more difficult to discreetly have it on him practically at all times. He shows it to Damian, who inspects it with a critical eye.

 

“Real diamonds?” Damian asks. 

 

“No. White sapphires, lab grown. I hate the diamond industry.” 

 

Damian nods, satisfied with this answer. 

 

The ring itself is a simple silver band, a little wider than a traditional engagement ring. It has a short row of white sapphires, visually indistinguishable from diamonds to an untrained eye, embedded in the middle. It’s a very elegant ring. Tiger is confident in his choice. 

 

“Richard will love it.” Damian concludes. Tiger slips the ring back into his pocket, and they continue down the aisle. He puts some plantains in the basket. 

 

“I know.” 

 

“When are you going to propose?”

 

“I’m not telling you.” Tiger hands Damian the basket and starts testing cantaloupes for soft spots. “You would interfere.” 

 

Damian doesn’t deny. “I just think you need to hurry up.”

 

“I will propose when I propose. This is none of your business.” 

 

Damian doesn’t say anything else for another few minutes, until they’re situated in the chilly outcove making up the dairy section. They’ve added tofu, leeks, mushrooms, bean sprouts and bell peppers to the basket, and now Tiger is looking through cartons of eggs for cracks. 

 

“I just want Richard to be happy.” The whisper is so low Tiger almost doesn’t hear it over the hum of the refrigerators. He pauses, open egg carton in hand. Carefully considers his next words. 

 

“Do you believe Dick is not happy now?” 

 

Damian shrugs.

 

“Because he is. You make him happy. And so do the rest of your family. So do his friends. And so do I. ” Tiger continues. He closes the carton and puts it in the basket that Damian is still holding. “Of course, he still has bad days, and there are times when he is not happy, but ‘happy’ is not a permanent state of being. And a romantic relationship is not a magical remedy for all life’s problems. An engagement ring will not cure his depression.”

 

“Richard is not depressed!” 

 

Tiger fights back a sigh. “Don’t lie to me or to yourself. I know you have seen his medication. If you did not know or believe he was depressed, you would not be fretting about all this.” 

 

“Fine,” Damian hisses. “Fine.” 

 

“There is nothing wrong with him. He just has struggles, like any other human being. Which is why we have to help him, even though he will never ask for it.” 

 

“I know!” Damian snaps, glaring fiercely up at Tiger. Tiger keeps his expression as plain as possible. Another shopper regards them strangely for a moment, then goes on with their own business. “I know that! I just—“ 

 

“You just want him to be happy. I know. I understand. But you will have to be more patient, on this one.” Tiger interrupts him, and Damian’s jaw snaps shut and he falls silent. He crosses his arms and glares down at the floor instead of at Tiger. Tiger is a little glad for that, at least. While he is not easily intimidated, the boy does do a fantastic impression of his father’s severe gaze, which just serves to remind Tiger that Damian knows much more about his past than he would like. He’s glad Damian is fond of him. If he wanted to put an end to his relationship, even his friendship with Dick, he certainly knows things that would do the trick. 

 

He senses the argument is over. “Besides,” Tiger smirks, “if we do get married, you can be the flower boy. I’m sure that would make Dick  _ very _ happy.” 

 

“Shut up.” Damian snaps on reflex. Then he stops, and looks up at Tiger with a dubious expression, bushy eyebrows raised at him. “And do not say ‘if’ as if there is any chance Richard will not say yes. He is madly in love with you.” He sneers as if the mere idea of romance in any form disgusts him, like he hasn’t been spending the last several weeks trying to push Tiger to propose  _ faster _ . 

 

“Frankly, I don’t see the appeal.” Damian sniffs. Tiger flicks the side of his head, muttering ‘brat’ under his breath. Damian yells a wordless, affronted sound at him, but luckily has the self restraint to not start a physical fight in the grocery store. 

 

Tiger carries both bags of groceries on their way home, where Dick is waiting for them. He’s on his laptop at the kitchen table, typing away at something. He looks up when Tiger and Damian walk in. “Hey, guys.” Dick smiles at the both of them before turning back to his assignment. “Damian, why don’t you go unpack and then pick out a movie? I’m almost done.” 

 

Damian dashes out, leaving Dick and Tiger alone in the kitchen. Dick continues to type while Tiger puts the groceries away in the fridge. The tapping and clicking and clacking noises are the only ones in the room, and Tiger allows himself to savour the domesticity of it. There’s just something about simply existing in the same space as the person you love, and really doing nothing much else, that pleases Tiger a surprising amount. The casualness of it, the easy silence that they don’t need to fill by talking but saying nothing, speaks of a strong and stable relationship. Tiger had spent the majority of his life thus far believing he would never have this. 

 

When the small amount of groceries are put away he goes to stand behind Dick, leaning down and wrapping his arms around his shoulders. Dick doesn’t pause whatever he’s working on, but he does lean back into the embrace. 

 

“I love you.” Tiger murmurs into Dick’s hair, and even though he cannot see Dick’s brilliant smile, he can hear it in his voice. 

 

“I love you, too.” Dick says it so confidently, so easily, that one could believe there was never a time he did not love Tiger, or ever doubted he did. It makes Tiger’s heart swell involuntarily, and he comes to a realization of sorts. 

 

He has this. 

 

He wants more.

 

And there’s nothing stopping him from having it. 

 

He has the ring. He has a speech already prepared. He told himself he was waiting for the right moment, but really all that was holding him back was his fear of the what ifs. Or, one big one-- what if Dick rejected him? But Damian was right, and he was a fool to ever kid himself like this. 

 

Besides, what moment could be more right than this one?

 

So he moves to the side of Dick’s chair, discreetly slips the ring out of his pocket and conceals it in his closed hand. With his free hand he takes one of Dick’s and lifts it off the keyboard, which causes his boyfriend to look up at him with a puzzled expression. 

 

“I hate to distract you, but you do it plenty to me already, so it’s only fair.” He says, which pulls a little laugh out of Dick. 

 

Tiger gets down on one knee. “Dick, I have something to ask of you.” 


End file.
